The news spread quickly, and luckily, Mr. Cho took immediate action. Not long after several complaints reached his ears, he immediately ordered Cho Yuna, his eldest daughter, to buy Myung and Haneul a house to live in. They have to live alone from now on, even though Myung's father adds some provisions that his son must obey if they leave his second wife's mansion in Myeongdong.
"The house is so small," Myung mumbled on the phone to his stepsister. The girl who bought and chose this house.
"Well, it can't be helped. That's the only gift I can give." Cho Yuna replied, chuckling softly.
"I firmly believe Nunim has more than enough money to buy a hundred houses of this type in Korea."
Myung could hear his stepsister giggling at the other end. What were their plans now? Myung wondered. But this is an incredibly good idea because then he can take Haneul away from his mother.
"The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a large family room. You must be able to measure your ability to take care of a household and a house. That's pretty ideal, seeing how much you're earning now. Oh yeah, dad said you can't use maids. You two have to take care of the house together. "
Myung immediately hung up the phone because he was very annoyed with his sister. How come, at this age, he still has to be managed by those people? Myung wasn't even given another choice. Since birth, his life has been arranged, and until now, it continues. And Cho Yuna always enjoys times when she makes fun of Myung's position in the office now. a regular employee with a minimum wage.
"You like the house?" Myung finally switched and stopped ignoring the girl he had been with for a long time.
"The house is beautiful."
That comment made Myung smile faintly. She – that girl – is good at changing her words. Myung gently pulled his wife's arm and started to enter the house they were going to live in. There is a long gray sofa. In front of it lies a large television. Behind it, there are 2 side-by-side doors.
Not far from there is a chest-limited bulkhead that turns out to function as a pantry bar table and also a barrier to the cooking area. Next to it is the bathroom door. There is a bathtub there. Finally, Myung found the plus value of this house. Everything is designed to be modern and minimalist, especially for a busy human couple who don't have a maid to help with housework.
In the main bedroom, there is a bed with a large mattress without a couch, directly connected to the walk-in closet, and there is a small toilet next to it. The wall on one side of the room is a piece of transparent glass that reveals an open view. Upstairs, there are still 2 more rooms, and Myung and Haneul don't want to see them yet. They were both already comfortable staying in this room.
"I like the house," said Haneul suddenly, breaking the silence between them.
"I'm glad you liked it." Myung smiled. "You want us to move now?"
"What?"
"We'll just sleep here tonight. Anyway, everything is ready. Tomorrow I will go to my mother's house and get our things. You stay here. "
"I have to say goodbye to my mother-in-law."
"No need to be polite to her; she just treats you badly."
"Nonetheless..."
"I brought you here so you feel calm and comfortable."
When Haneul was silent, Myung always issued a sentence he didn't expect.
"But we are not allowed to hire maids, bring clothes to the laundry, or do anything else in this house. We have to do it together. Are you all right? "
"I am alright."
"Did you know about that?"
"What?"
"There are no servants in this house?"
Haneul looked confused. She shook her head. "I was only told by my mother that when I got married and left the house, all my facilities were gone. Even when I live in my own house, I won't be able to hire maids or anything. "
Ah, so Myung was flabbergasted. "How could our parents apply the same vision to this punishment?" The man half laughed.
"But I'm serious, Haneul-ssi, can your parents do that? "Can I have that much power over you?"
"Yes, they did," Haneul answered, seriously.
"They can do it?"
"Yes, they can do it."
..
**
Just two days after Haneul and Myung officially moved into their new home, a summons was sent to that address. a summoning letter from a place called Shinena. Myung doesn't know what it is, but he can see if Haneul knows where the letter came from.
In this new house, they still sleep together in the master bedroom. Because the other two rooms are on the second floor, Each of them was too lazy to go up there, and neither one would budge until the two of them crammed into the master bedroom.
During that time, Haneul was alone at home, browsing the internet and learning from many articles and other people's reviews about taking care of a house, washing clothes, and preparing food. Not to mention taking out the trash, ironing, and shopping for food needs. Haneul is a layman; she doesn't know what should be done first, so she searches and reads a lot to make the best use of her time. Especially when the letter came and she was asked to work again, Haneul had to be smart about dividing her time.
"You cook?" Myung asks her because on their kitchen table there are various cooked dishes ready to eat.
"I cooked the rice," Haneul answered briefly.
"Ah, sorry that I haven't contributed anything since we moved," Myung explained.
"It's fine, you brought all the things from the old house by yourself."
"I only brought a suitcase filled with clothes, nothing big. This is delicious. What is it called? " Myung stood while tasting the food served on the table. "May I eat?" He asked his wife.
"Let's eat together," said Haneul in the affirmative. She began to arrange the bowls of side dishes on the more open table for serving.
"Where did you buy it? It seems like this fits. We can eat food like this every day."
"At a family restaurant not far from here, I got a reference from the internet."
"You bought it there?"
"They have delivery service."